History 21 The Podcast - 2.10 Lindsay new ACHS staff
Over the last several years, ACHS has made thoughtful changes in staffing and operations. This, when coupled with strategic planning from the board of directors, resulted in a COVID-friendly digital existence and plenty of options for the future. The next step in exploring, “what if?” required an investment from the savings account and the creation of a Development Specialist position. To fill this part-time, one-year contract hire, ACHS partnered with Lindsay Christensen. In this podcast, you’ll hear more about Lindsay as a person, her hopes for ACHS, and how you can help support these endeavors.
Hosts Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Ebnet-Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Lindsay Christensen
Lindsay Christensen
Lindsay Christensen has a jack-of-all-trades background before coming to ACHS. A 2004 graduate of Osseo Senior High and frequent visitor to Anoka County, she has a strong fondness for the county and the Northwestern MSP suburbs. Her grandfather was a principal at Kenneth Hall in Spring Lake Park, her grandmother was a long-time member of the LWV of Blaine, her great grandmother was a resident for many years, and the county has always been a frequent destination for time well spent with family and friends.
In 2011, she graduated from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts with a focus in technical theatre. Her years at Saint Mary’s included a semester abroad in London, an acting course in Dublin, and culminated in the direction of her own play her senior year.
Since undergrad graduation coincided with the recession, she found herself back home and jumping back into work that would ultimately pay the bills. Prior to college, she worked a few years as a Customer Service Representative at various locations, including Mystic Lake Casino all through college breaks, and she started with Manna Distribution Services in 2012. Five years and three promotions to management within the logistics company, she decided to go back to school for her master’s degree to move into nonprofit work and to use her skills and talents to make a difference.
Lindsay started school in 2017 and joined Park Square Theatre as a Development & Marketing Specialist while also driving for Lyft, Then, during the height of lockdown, Lindsay graduated from Saint Mary’s University’s Minneapolis campus with an M.A. in Arts and Cultural Management but had to shelve her aspirations due to the pandemic and closure of nearly the entire arts and culture sector.
Lindsay is thrilled to be working with the folks at ACHS and is focused on fundraising with an emphasis on building relationships with the visitors and donors of the museum. She lives in New Brighton with her cat Pickle and when she’s not working on museum work, she has another contract position as a transcription typist. Otherwise, she’s also an avid artist and excited to get back out and see theatre again.
ACHS Development
Development feels like a tricky thing. Should we raise money to literally keep the lights on and purchase paper towels? Should we select a more marketable item like a exhibit hall component? Perhaps storage boxes and tissue paper that continually run out? Or can we stretch and add something new like an anthropologist to gather Anoka County stories originating with African immigrants? The board of directors also feels concerned about how the wages and benefits compare to other museums with professional staff. Is there a way to raise money that doesn’t take as much staff time so they can conduct some research and create new innovations?
However you frame it, ACHS relies on the generosity of members, donors, patrons, and the community to create a physical space for the museum as well as funds for operation. Thank you for helping us continue the work of story-keeping and legacy-making!
Lindsay’s cat, Pickle, curled up and sleeping.
Anoka County Library Minute
Further Reading:
An inspiring true story about a man determined to save his nonprofit from extinction in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. He set sail on the Mississippi River hoping to raise funds and found that, more than that, he was able to raise the hopes of the people he met along the way.
Start Your Own Nonprofit Organization by Corbin Collins (658.048 COL)
For those interested in starting their own nonprofit, or those interested in how nonprofits operate via donations and fundraising, read this book published by Entrepreneur magazine’s Start Up series.
Rules for Revolutionaries: how big organizing could change everything by Becky Bond (323.042 BON)
Written by two senior advisors for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, Rules for Revolutionaries has a political angle, but its advice on leveraging small donations and volunteers can translate to other non-profit organizations.
This resource focuses on how to get the most philanthropic bang for your buck. If you are donating your hard-earned money, you want to ensure that it is going toward organizations that are actually supporting the things you care about, right?
A Path Appears: transforming lives, creating opportunity by Nicholas Kristof (361.7 KRI)
From the authors of New York Times Bestseller Half the Sky, this book is “a deep examination of people who are making the world a better place, and the myriad ways we can support them, whether with a donation of five dollars or five million, an inkling to help or a useful skill to deploy.”
Life’s Great Question: discover how you contribute to the world by Tom Rath (306.361 RAT)
From the author of StrengthsFinder 2.0 comes a book about figuring out your own personalized, optimum way to give back.
Altruism: the power of compassion to change yourself and the world by Matthieu Ricard (171.8 RIC)
A comprehensive look at the idea of altruism written by a Buddhist monk and PhD in cellular genetics. This book looks at the idea of altruism without a focus on any particular -ism or ideology. The author also offers up ideas big and small for how we can change the world.
Filled with first-hand accounts from famous philanthropists, actors, authors, and more, this book demonstrates how giving back is actually good for you. In addition to the stories told, the author incorporates research about how giving activates our brains.